‘Mad Men’ Pilot: 5 Little-Known Facts on the 10th Anniversary

After so many old fashioneds, your memory of the pilot episode, “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes,” might be a little hazy. But while nostalgia is delicate, it’s also potent. Shot long before the rest of the series was commissioned, the pilot episode features a number of differences from the main series. From appearances from future stars, one of whom would never pop up again in the show, to a photo of a character who hadn’t actually been cast yet, here are 5 little-known facts about the Mad Men pilot:

1. The pilot is the only episode shot in New York City. The rest of the episodes were filmed in Los Angeles.

2. The pilot cost $3.3 million to shoot. It was shot in 10 days, while series creator Matthew Weiner was on hiatus from his writing job at The Sopranos.

3. Two future stars were in “the nerve center.” Stephanie Courtney played Marge, before becoming famous as Flo in the Progressive commercials. And Kristin Schaal played Nannette, but doesn’t appear in the rest of the series.

4. The photo of Trudy isn’t the real Trudy. Shot before Alison Brie was cast, that’s actually a photo of Matthew Weiner’s mom.

5. The pilot episode won an Emmy. In 2008, Matthew Weiner took home the Emmy for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series for the pilot.